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ESA&NASA/SOHO
One of the views of the coronal mass ejection released by the sun on Feb. 9, 2013 as seen by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.
By Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing Editor
A long-lasting solar flare erupted from the sun early Saturday, triggering an intense sun eruption aimed squarely at Earth. The solar storm, however, should not endanger satellites or astronauts in space, but could amplify auroras on Earth, NASA says.
The solar eruption —called a coronal mass ejection —occurred at 2:30 a.m. EST (0730 GMT) on Saturday during a minor, but long-duration, flare. It hurled a wave of charged particles at Earth at speeds of about 1.8 million miles per hour.
The sun eruption was captured in photos by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint mission by NASA and the European Space Agency.
Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are eruptions of charged solar material that fling solar particles out into space. When aimed at Earth, they can reach the planet between one and three days later, and cause geomagnetic storms when they interact with the planet's magnetic field. They can also amplify the northern and southern lights displays over the Earth's poles.
ESA&NASA/SOHO
Three views over time of the coronal mass ejection released by the sun on Feb. 9, 2013 as seen by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.
""In the past, CMEs at this strength have had little effect," NASA officials said in a statement. "They may cause auroras near the poles but are unlikely to disrupt electrical systems on Earth or interfere with GPS or satellite-based communications systems."
Saturday's solar flare and sun eruption apparently also caught the attention astronauts living on the International Space Station, even though the solar weather event will have little impact on their daily routine.
"We live right next to a star," wrote Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who currently lives on the International Space Station, in a Twitter post. "Today it ejected a huge blob at 500 mi/sec. But not to worry — should be good aurorae."
The sun is currently in an active period of its 11-year solar weather cycle, and is expected to reach its peak this year. The sun's current weather cycle is known as Solar Cycle 24.
The SOHO spacecraft and several other sun-watching observatories, such as NASA's twin Stereo spacecraft and the Solar Dynamics Observatory, constantly monitor the star for changes in solar weather.
Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo northern lights photo or any other night sky object, that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.
You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
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wonder if this is what phucked up my verizon FiOS tv :P
Naw.... Verizon is entirely capable of accomplishing that all by itself.
The Sun, the sponsor of all life on our ever-changing and vibrant planet. Billions of years ago we were created almost simultaneously in the same stellar nursery and today we are inseparable. Whether “stormy or calm” the Sun has its own way of demonstrating its presence and influence on us through hot / cold periods and geomagnetic storms (affecting your verisonFIOS as well) and reminds us of how vulnerable we are in its embrace.
The northern lights displays remind me of a bride’s veil, giving special status to our relationship right now, the relationship that will ultimately be terminated, billions of years from now, you guessed it, by the Sun.
Mark S: Funny you mention that. My FIOS was wacked Friday night. High ping on the internet, scrambled channels all night long. I'm hoping it was solar flares because, I pay too much to Verizon to have these problems.
FiOS should be immune to electromagnetic disturbances, like solar flares. However, supporting equipment and cabling may not be so fortunate.
Here are some interesting observations;
The 'Little Ice Age' (tens of millions dying from starvation and disease) has been associated with extremely low sunspot activity several hundred years ago, and low sunspot activity is associated with less solar radiation reaching Earth.
The current Solar Cycle 24 has unusually low sunspot activity (about half the peak of Solar Cycle 23), and we are experiencing an unusually cold Winter this year.
I wonder if there is a connection?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Hey, I'm only joking, but my next post is more serious.
Let's get real (scientific) about 'Global Warming' for a moment.
The average temperature has been consistently rising for the last 20,000 years – for example, here's a quote from Wikipedia; “"Sea level reached 120 meters (394 feet) below current sea level at the Last Glacial Maximum 19,000-20,000 years ago." (Link below) In other words, sea level has been rising fairly consistently for the last 20,000 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level#Sea_level_and_dry_land
As the temperature rises, it creates a natural 'feedback loop' wherein the ground releases massive amounts of Carbon that had been trapped, which further increases Greenhouse gases, which accelerates warming even further. This has been going on for the last 20,000 years – long before the 'Industrial Revolution', and it follows a very consistent pattern of Ice Age cycles that repeats itself about every 100,000 years, with temperatures rising quickly over about a 20,000 year period, and then peaking before a dramatic drop in average temperatures. Remaining very cold for about 80,000 years before starting a new 'cycle'..
We are currently near the point where the Earth seems to naturally 'cycle itself' into a very dramatic cooling period, which will devastate civilization on a massive scale that dwarfs recent events such as the 'Little Ice Age' that caused tens of millions of deaths from starvation and disease. (Link below);
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age
If you LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE GRAPH BELOW, and consider where we are in this current cycle, you should ask yourself “Do we want to interfere with this natural cycle in an attempt to SPEED UP the cooling process, when that might actually start a new Ice Age that could kill billions of people?”
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ice+ages+charts&qpvt=ice+ages+charts&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=C1EE90F2F0D6C7B90186B717BE365116A3DA8EF3&selectedIndex=12
Yes, that's all quite interesting except for the FACT that GOD created the Earth less than 10,000 years ago.
So, as you can see, your "ice ages" are just pure fantasy, and have never occurred.
I really hope you're being sarcastic..
I sincerely hope he is as well...
The feedback loop associated with ice ages and absorption/release of CO2 by the oceans has cycled between about 180 and 280 ppm (atmospheric CO2 concentration) for a million years or more; currently we're at nearly 400 ppm as a result of human activity ... most definitely NOT a natural cycle. The paleo-climate evidence is clear that such high concentrations result in warming and higher sea levels. There is no reason to be concerned about another ice age for thousands of years into the future.
I do see one plus--it might get rid of all these drop down ads that cover up the text in the articles. Of course, we wouldn't have the articles either, but it would get rid of the miserable pop-ups that can't be circumvented.
BTW, I'm not too worried about the sun and it's ejections. We've been here for a while, and I'm sure there have been many that were not recorded since we actually "discovered" them. I think I'll sit back and enjoy the show.
FiOS is fiber optics based. Not susceptible to magnetic disturbances except at processor end where the electrically based signals are converted to light pulses. Should be far more reliable than copper based cable systems. Plus the more dangerous damaging particles from the CME should only now be beginning to arrive.
They sort of forgot to mention a CME is one of the most probable way of destroying the planet. Oh those little details. Asking for photo's is good, but don't mail them in due to the 1 - 3 day delay until the atmosphere is ripped off the earth. Not that mail is not a good venue.
Sorry Robert but get your facts straight...and stop spreading stupidty. The CME will not rip the atmosphere off the earth in fact, worst case it will knock a few power grids....
Also the Earth has been around for 5 billion years or so, life on it for 500 million, yet it still has an Atmosphere
AJS is right there...see there's this thing the Earth has called Van Allen belts,basically a huge magnetic field surrounding us generated by the Earth's molten iron core and the fact that we're spinning.Not possibel try again..
Have the Van Allen belts been getting larger due to the obesity epidemic? Mine certainly has been. (nothing wrong with spreading stupidity...)
Actually, it is theoretically possible for just such a thing to happen. There has never been a CME from our sun of this magnitude, but it is possible.
And in other news, an unloosened tinfoil hat caused brain death for a local man...
True a CME would not rip the atmosphere. It would cook it, then it would be nothing. Interesting all of you discount a proven theory. I guess it's true what they say about public education. Sorry you guys were jipted. Every here of gamma ray bursts?
Robert, the scenario you describe is extremely unlikely to happen to Earth. The reason why Earth has liquid water on its surface, while Mars does not, is the presence of our magnetic field protecting our vital atmosphere. Without that magnetic field, the normal solar winds (let alone a CME) would indeed turn Earth into Mars.
Electrical equipment, on the other hand, is susceptible to CMEs. If an "end of civilization" event happens as a result of a CME, it would be the destruction of electrical equipment, and related disasters due to our reliance on modern technology, that causes our end and not a Hollywood-style ball of fire cooking the planet (at least not until the Sun becomes a red giant star in another few billion years).
Robert, if you went to private school you're parents should sue to get their money back. You're making them look really stupid.
How lucky can one miserable piece of rock in space get? Nothing ever happens to the earth, but the nightmare continues for the rest of us.
With the magnetic force, I wonder what the significant of the flare hitting the big chunk of asteroid preparing to skim by next weekend?
None
^
Go tell Russia that. ;D
All it takes is one good one to knock out the power grid they say it would be two to three years to fix it...think of what would happen no food no gas no phones no electric no cell no Facebook?...then ZOMBIE TIME
at least we wouldn't have to work lol
Casey-2933004
at least we wouldn't have to work lol
You would have to if you wanted to survive
Work at setting snares and catching fish, stores are closed!
There certainly would be a huge line at Home Depot to buy generators...
We Have No Power, Sir...
Coronal Zombies. I love it. My next elevator pitch.
uhmm hey Nasa whats this do to the Velocity of DA14? If it slows it, do we have a landing? or dose it change its course? Didnt we just discus this scenario??? Oops
Somewhere between too small to measure and not enough to matter.
why is this news? this is always happening... my god why dont they report that a star blew up ( face palm ) like that doesnt happen... lol it ALWAYS IS... my god... and the sun flares on the asteroid have no affect.. because the asteroid is coming next week and the flares dont take a week to hit us........
Maybe more flares coming at just the right time?
CMEs are common but are not often aimed at our planet.
Well, for this solar cycle at least, the CME's are my best forecast for local weather, lol. Just before it hits the earth, the skies in my city are pretty much guaranteed to cloud up so I can't see the aurora. So I'm happy about the news - better forecasting than I've been getting from the National Weather Service...
The solar eruption is a result of people not buying enough of Al Gore's carbon credits.
I thought this eruption was because of my SUV
myspellcheck
Let's just compromise and say that it's Bush's fault.
Watch the movie, The Road.
You know this is coming, so I'll just go ahead and get it over with...
"Ban coronal mass ejections!!1!1!!"
So all you nutjobs can go on back to Faux Nooz; I already covered it for you... :-)
It's just theorhetorically possible. Nobody said it was later today. Some folks just like to jump to conclusions. lol
You can be d*mn sure of one thing..when and if there is ever a really massive flare that will cripple electronics and put us literally into the stone age again...you won't hear a word about it on any news or online. It takes 24 hours to hear anything at best now..and if it was being withheld or controlled because it was bad news and our wonderful govenment didn't want us to panic..you know..be able to stock food and water or get under shelter... then you'd be SOL.
Pray for nothing bad to happen, prepare for anything.
That will also be the new boy scouts motto now that gay teens will be camping together per Mr. Obama.
Yes, because "O'Bummer can do eeeeeeeeverythiiiiiiiiing!..." /sarc
They see the CME's long before it actually hits the earth. Believe it or not, most of the astonomers that watch this stuff are not on the govt. payroll, so the govt. has no ability to gag them.
sun blasts huge pressure wave past earth. asteroid heading toward earth from opposite direction. shock wave alters asteroid course by a few inches. asteroid travels several million more miles toward earth. ever fire a gun? tiny movement at point of shot equals huge difference at point of impact, further the distance greater change at impact point . just saying.
You just had to mention guns....there goes the neighborhood! Or is it Nation ...... or whatever!
Now it'll be the NRA's fault that the worlds going to end!
NASA scientists account for things like solar radiation pressure (both normal sunlight and flares) in calculating the uncertainty in asteroid orbits; the forces involved are simply too small compared to the mass of an asteroid to have a significant effect in only days or weeks. On the other hand, the forces are important in short time periods for much smaller masses, such as dust particles in the tail of a comet.
Coronal mass ejection? The sun had an orgasm!
Ha! Its God way of showing I flood the Earth with people on it..Now he going to burn it.
Wow they better tax us even more to adjust the sun flare .
well, it had to happen I guess, and now is as good as any other time. I'd like to thank all the little people I've step on to get ahead, all the low-lifes I have blamed for alot of my misdeeds, all of my past co-workers who I used to deflect blame away from me, while taking ALL the credit for any projects I barely raised a hand in, and to all my current followers out there in the twitterverse...get a life, will you!
The end is near, and our hour of discontent grows closer at hand, oh repent ye sinner... or go get drunk and la*d! Either way, it ALL STARTED with a bolt of electric 4 billion yrs ago, and will end 2/12/2013 w/ ano shock of electric! And remember, Have fun
Didn't the world end in Dec 2012?
Yes, it did. Didn't you get the memo? (Now checking the e-mail distribution list....)
A mass EME event as happened in 1859 would cripple a technology dependent society. The indigenous peoples of the Amazon will be the only ones not effected...The computers in Cars, "ECM's" Trucks, will get fried on top of the phone and cell phone communications. The electrical grid will get taken down! I hope my Amateur Radio Station don't get taken out, I should be back on line fairly quick!
My brother-in-law has three horses....he might lend me one. I've always been pretty good to him.
NO wonder that I have been "Lost in the Ozone Again".
Don't worry. Trust us.
everyone will be walking soon or peddling there bikes , cops will be making funny sounds as they chase you errrr errr err ere rere reee , i will ride a cow, horses to hard to find now days, i will be making funny sounds to , mooo mooo move ahahaa
Are they telling us correctly or do big surprizes come in little packages? Which is not even true cause it is just a minor flare of gigantic proportion!
keep you paper towels close to your computers , you never no what i might say,